Nine people were killed Tuesday in a school shooting in Austria that occurred despite gun control measures including licensing and registration requirements and a waiting period for firearm purchases.
Update: Graz hospital has now confirmed a tenth victim has died, Reuters reported.
Breitbart News noted that the attack occurred at a school in the city of Graz “around 1000 (0900 BST, 0400 ET).”
The attacker, though unnamed, was identified as a 21-year-old former student of the school who used two firearms that he “legally owned,” BBC reported.
Moreover, BBC pointed out that the attacker had a firearm license.
While it is not yet clear the precise type of firearms used in the attack, GazetaExpress pointed out that registration requirements apply even for rifles and shotguns, as well as a three-day waiting period and minimum purchase age of 18.
The minimum purchase age for revolvers, pistols, and semiautomatic firearms is 21, and a gun ownership card is required. GunFinder noted that “a psychological assessment” is part of the process for acquiring the card and “a justification for gun ownership must be provided.”
Shooting Park Austria described the psychological requirement as a “weapons psychology certificate.”
In a 2018 overview of gun laws in various countries the New York Times noted other gun control requirements in Austria, including the “[completion of] a course on safe gun handling and storage” and passing “a review of criminal history.”
None of these controls prevented a determined attacker from carrying out a heinous act in Austria on Tuesday.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at [email protected].
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